Automatic self-winding watch



Oct. 31, 1961 R. A. FIECHTER 3,006,138

AUTOMATIC SELF-WINDING WATCH Filed June 4, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 PRIORART INVENTOR WMWM ATTORNEYb Oct. 31, 1961 R. A. FIECHTER AUTOMATICSELF-WINDING WATCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 4, 1958 INVENTOR M M. 3 M4 BY ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofifice 3,006,138 AUTOMATICSELF-WINDING WATCH Rene A. Fiechter, 137 Hollywood Ave., Douglaston 63,N.Y. Filed June 4, 1958, Ser. No. 739,764 6 Claims. (Cl. 58-82) Thisinvention relates to an automatic self-winding watch and particularly tosuch a Watch in which the oscillating mass (rotor) is provided withperipheral supporting bearings to relieve the central pivot or trunnionof certain undesirable stresses, to reduce friction and to increaseeificiency.

The self-winding watches now in current use on the market have a rotoror mass oscillating around a central trunnion which bears the wholeweight of such mass. The

.shocks causing the mass to rotate, thus winding the watch,

are also borne by said central trunnion, causing it to wear out andoften to break.

It is an object of the invention to provide means for increasing thelife of the central trunnion and to reduce the possible amount offriction of the rotor not only at its trunnion but at all other pointswhere friction might develop, thus obtaining a more durable and at thesame time more sensitive self-winding mechanism, and therefore a betterover-all performance of the watch.

Practical embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein FIG. 1 represents a perspective View, W1th a minimumof detail, showing a conventional form of trunnionmounted rotor;

FIG. 2 represents a radial section, on an enlarged scale, taken on theline II-II of FIG. 1, parts being broken away;

FIG. 3 represents a top plan view of a rotor according to the inventionwith its peripheral guide rings, parts being broken away andconventional details of the watch mechanism being omitted;

FIG. 4 represents a radial section, on an enlarged scale, taken on theline IV-IV of FIG. 3, parts being broken away;

FIG. 5 represents a detail radial section, similar to FIG. 4, showing analternative form of bearing, parts being broken away; I

FIG. 6 represents a detail radial section, similar to FIGS. 4 and 5,showing another alternative form of hearing, and

FIG. 7 represents a detail chord-wise section taken on the line VIIVIIof FIG. 6, parts being broken away.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, showing the conventional rotor mounting, itwill be seen that the rotor 1 rotates freely about the trunnion 2 whichsupports the rotor above the watch mechanism proper 3 with a smallclearance. The trunnion 2 is heavily stressed mechanically because thegreatest mass of the rotor is near its periphery, as shown at 4, thussubjecting the central trunnion to high bending moments throughcantilever action, plus strong sheer stresses. Moreover, the reactionfrom shocks, dynarnic accelerations and friction, all caused by the factthat the center of mass of the rotor necessarily does not coincide withits axis of rotation (the rotor being dynamically unbalanced) tend toaggravate the stress situation. In actual practice it is found that thegreatest single cause of breakdown in self-winding watches is failure ofthe center trunnion 2, which either breaks or bends or wears out alarger hole in the rotor thus permitting the rotor to scrape against thewatch movement. On the other hand, the necessarily tight fit of therotor on the trunnion results in friction which makes the efliciency ofthe rotor, at best, far from ideal.

The difiiculties just described are overcome by the structure of thepresent invention in which the rotor 5 (FIGS.

3,006,138 Patented Oct. 31, 1961 .3 and 4) is provided with a rim 6extending uniformly around 360 and firmly fixed to the periphery of therotor through 180 by means of the screws 7. The rim 6 projects radiallyoutward beyond the periphery of the rotor into a channel formed by thelower guide ring 8 (fixed to the watch mechanism) and the upper guidering 9 (fixed to ring 8), the inwardly projecting flange 9 being spacedfrom the upper surface of ring 8 by a distance somewhat greater than thethickness of the rim 6 so as to leave clearance spaces above and belowsaid rim.

The rim 6 is provided with a plurality (e.g., 13 to 26) of verticalholes or sockets 10 uniformly spaced throughout its whole extent andsmall jewels 11, 12 are set in the holes or sockets in such a Way as topresent upwardly and downwardly projecting rounded surfaces 11', 12'.The dimensions of the jewels are such that they do not normally come incontact with the channel walls (surfaces of ring 8 and flange 9'), butthe clearance is small enough to permit the rounded surfaces 11, 12' toact as bumpers, preventing any serious distortion of the centraltrunnion when the watch is subjected to shocks. The rounded jewelsurfaces have good frictional characteristics so that their momentary(or longer) contact with the channel surfaces does not interfere withthe proper functioning of the rotor, and such contact causes no harmfulwear.

It is important to note that the rim 6 is a complete annulus and thusresists cantilever distortion of the central trunnion at both ends ofevery diameter, as contrasted with the conventional rotor (1 in FIGS. 1and 2) which is only a 180 sector. That is, any rocking of the rotor outof its normal plane of oscillation will be arrested by the contact ofone or more upper jewels against flange 9' on one side and one or morelower jewels against ring 8 at the opposite side, thus distributing thefriction and wear among a plurality of contact points.

In the alternative form shown in FIG. 5 the jewels 13, 14 are sphericaland are mounted in a small cylinder 15 with a spring 16 pushing themapart against the crimped-in ends of the cylinder. The cylinder isdesigned to be held by a close friction fit in the hole 10 of the rotor,and the outermost points of the jewels are spaced by small clearancesfrom the channel surfaces, as described above. Such spherical jewels actas ball bearings when a shock brings them into contact with the channelsurfaces, with the result that friction and wear are both minimized.

A further alternative arrangement is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, wherein thejewels. are in the form of rollers 17, 18 mounted onaxles 19, 20 forrotation about radial axes a and 12 disposed in regular alternationaround the periphery of a rim 21 (similar to rim 6). The axles 1'9 (onads a) are nearer the upper surface of rim 21 so that the rollers 17 cancontact the flange 9", while the axles 2.0 (on axis [1) are nearer thelower surface of the rim enabling the rollers 18 to bear against thering 8. When the rotor is in its proper position and not subjected toabnormal shocks the rollers 17, 18 do not touch either of the channelsurfaces, but when a shock deforms the rotor, momentarily or longer, outof its normal trajectory the rollers 17 on one side will run on theadjacent flange surface while the rollers 18 diametrically opposite willrun on the surface of ring 8, as will be readily understood. In thisinstance frictional interference with the operation of the rotor ispractically eliminated, and no perceptible wear of either rollers orchannel surfaces should occur.

If either one of the guide rings 8 or 9 is omitted there is still someadvantage from the provision of a complete circle of anti-friction andwear-resisting elements capable of limiting displacement of the rotorfrom its proper plane, but the provision of both upper and lower annularguide surfaces is to be preferred. Part of the annular rim 6 canevidently be replaced by a correspondingly shaped, jewel-carryin garcuate rim integral with the rotor, so long as the net effect is toprovide a complete circle of the jewel elements in approximately thepositions shown and described.

It will be understood that other modifications may be made in themounting, shape and distribution of the jewels and in other details ofthe structure well within the scope of the invention exemplified by thethree forms described above. Also, while the bumpers, balls and rollershave been described as jewels, which are preferred, pants havingcorresponding shapes and functions but made of other materials might besubstituted if necessary or desired.

What I claim is:

1. A watch of the character described comprising a rotor supported foroscillation on a fixed central trunnion, a plurality of anti-frictionand wear-resistant elements fixed to the rotor and disposed in an areadjacent its periphery, an additional plurality of anti-friction andwear-resistant elements fixed to the rotor and disposed in an areforming with the first-mentioned are a complete circle with the trunnionas its center, and at least one fixed annular guide surface disposedadjacent said elements with a small clearance between said surface andsaid elements under normal conditions and in any position with relationto the force of gravity, whereby displacement of the rotor from itsnormal plane of oscillation about its axis in the watch movement may belimited by contact of at least one of said elements with said surface,said elements being jewels, each presenting toward the adjacent guidesurface a rounded portion.

2. A watch according to claim 1 in which the jewels are spherical andare resiliently and rotatably supported.

3. A watch according to claim 1 in which the jewels are in the form ofrollers mounted for rotation about axes lying radially of the rotor,alternate axes being disposed to lie in different planes perpendiculartothe axis of oscillation of the rotor.

4. A watch of the character described comprising a rotor supported foroscillation on a fixed central trunnion, an annular rim fixed to therotor adjacent its pen'phery, a plurality of anti-friction andwear-resistant elements mounted in said rim and projecting therefrom,and upper and lower fixed annular guide surfaces disposed adjacent saidelements above and below said annular rim with a small clearance betweensaid surfaces and the projecting portions of said elements under normalconditions and in any position with relation to the force of gravity,whereby displacement of the rotor from its normal plane of oscillationabout its axis in the watch movement may be limited by contact of atleast one of said elements with said surface, said elements beingjewels, each presenting toward the adjacent guide surface a roundedportion.

5. A watch according to claim 4 in which the jewels are spherical andare resiliently and rotatably supported.

6. A watch according to claim 4 in which the jewels are in the form ofrollers mounted for rotation about axes lying radially of the rotor,alternate axes being disposed to lie in different planes perpendicularto the axis of oscillation of the rotor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS786,387 Smith Apr. 4, 1905 1,799,454 Burke Apr. 7, 1931 1,844,882.Bulova Feb. 9, 1932 2,857,733 Maire Oct. 28, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS669,731 France Aug. 10, 1929 146,604 Switzerland July 1, 1931 160,491Switzerland May 16, 1933 776,187 Great Britain June 5, 1957

